Anthony Giacalone
Anthony Joseph Giacalone (January 9, 1919 – February 23, 2001) known as "Tony Jack", was an organized crime figure and capo in the Detroit Partnership. He came to public notice during the 1970s during investigations into the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa, as he was one of two Mafia members – the other being Anthony Provenzano – that Hoffa was to meet the day he disappeared. Giacalone was later jailed for ten years in 1976 for income tax fraud at the Federal Correctional Institution in Oxford, Wisconsin. Biography Giacalone was born on January 2, 1919, he was the brother of Vito Giacalone, known as "Billy Jack". Dan E. Moldea, author of 'The Hoffa Wars', detailed Giacalone's early career in the Detroit Mafia "running errands for bookmakers" before becoming an enforcer for crime boss Joseph Zerilli and was Zerilli's bodyguard and chauffeur for almost a decade before being promoted to capo with his own crew. He also allegedly attended the Apalachin conference with Zerilli and both narrowly escaped being arrested by police, although it has never been proved that Zerilli attended the meeting. He earned a reputation as a "tough guy and a natty dresser" with a stare of "cold intensity" according to Mike Wendland. In his early years, Giacalone sometimes worked as a bartender and in real estate while at the same time being a major figure in the Detroit numbers racket as a part of Pete Licavoli's gang. His rap sheet included arrests for stripping cars, armed robbery, rape, firearms violations, bribery and illegal gambling. In 1960, he was reportedly promoted to the rank of Street boss and put in charge of the numbers and gambling rackets after the death of "Machine Gun" Pete Corrado. Hoffa Disappearance On July 30 1975, Jimmy Hoffa disappeared from the parking lot of the Machus Red Fox Restaurant in Bloomfield Township, an affluent suburb of Detroit. According to what he had told others, he believed he was to meet there with Giacalone and Anthony Provenzano. Provenzano was also a union leader with the Teamsters in New Jersey, and had earlier been quite close to Hoffa. Provenzano was a national vice-president with IBT from 1961, Hoffa's second term as Teamsters' president. When Hoffa did not return home that evening, his wife reported him missing. Police found Hoffa's car at the restaurant, but there was no sign of Hoffa himself or any indication of what happened to him. Extensive investigations into the disappearance began immediately, and continued over the next several years by several law enforcement groups, including the FBI. The investigations did not conclusively determine Hoffa's fate. For their part, Giacalone and Provenzano were found not to have been near the restaurant that afternoon, and each denied they had scheduled a meeting with Hoffa. Hoffa was declared legally dead in 1982, on the seventh anniversary of his disappearance, when he would have been aged 69. His disappearance gave rise to many rumors and theories. Giacalone has always remained one of the prime suspects in Hoffa's disappearance. Death Giacalone died on February 23, 2001, aged 82. He had been admitted to St. John's Hospital and Medical Center in Detroit for heart failure and complications arising from kidney disease. His son Joseph Giacalone has lung cancer and his future does not look good Category:Detroit Partnership Category:Capos